Venice - Grand Canal

As well as the twin-arched windows and the curved balconies, the particularly remarkable feature of this palace is its upper story with its rich yet well-ordered ornamentation. The interior was designed in 1542 by Sanmicheli.

The main facade overlooks the Canal Grande.

Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore is a marvelous Gothic palace with two especially interesting sea-horses created by a follower of Vittoria on the facade.

In the 18th century the palace was the residence of the Ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire, hence its popular name "Palazzo dell'Ambasciatore (Ambassador's Palace).

The main facade overlooks the Canal Grande.

The massive building was begun in 1660 by Baldassare Longhena, the greatest Baroque architect in Venice, and was completed nearly 100 years later (1750) by Giorgio Massari for the noble Rezzonico family. In 1687 one member of this family bought himself the patent of nobility, as Pope Clement XIII.

This palace is a perfect example of Venetian Renaissance architecture and towards the end of the last century many of its elements were copied throughout Europe.

The palace was built between 1480 and 1504 by Mauro Coducci. At first it belonged to the Loredan family, then in the 16th century to the Calergi family, and finally in the 18th century it came into the hands of the Vendramin family. Richard Wagner died here in 1883.

For centuries the only bridge over the Canal Grande was the Ponte di Rialto, then in 1854 Austria, the occupying power since 1815 when Venice became part of the Habsburg Kingdom of Lombardy-Veneto, decided to erect a second footbridge and the Ponte dell'Accademia, a small iron bridge, was built. In 1932 the iron bridge was demolished and replaced by a wooden bridge. Looked upon as a temporary measure, it was to be replaced by a stone bridge, but this was never built.

Dating only from 1907 the market hall near the Rialto Bridge was built by Domenico Rupolo and Cesare Laurenti in Gothic style on the site of the traditional fish market, its skillful architecture (especially the ingenious capitals on the columns) and the activity among the various stalls make it an attractive feature of Venice. The building was constructed according to a centuries old method on over 18,000 larch wood piles.

Musical gondola trips on the Canal Grande from May to September, departing at 9 pm from Bauer-Grünwald Hotel.